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Bhrahma the grandsire of all creatures beget Vashitha > Shakti > Parashara > Vyasa > Pandu > Arjun > Abhimanu > Parikshita > Janmanjaya
Vyasa had Dhrutarastra, Pandu, Vidur and Shuka as his sons
First two became kings. Of his 105 grandsons, only one great-great grandchild survived to carry on the genetic link, Parikshita. As Parikshita was poisoned by snake called Takshata, Janmanjaya decided to destroy all snakes. At this genocidal yagna, Vyasa’s student recited the Mahabharata to the king. Hearing the family history, Janmanjaya realised how Takshata’s desire to kill off Arjun’s heirs was sowed by Arjun’s own genocide of all Nagas of Khandava-vana. Takshata was saved, but his friends and family were killed off by Arjun. As Arjun was protected by God, Takshata could not kill him, so he took out his vengeance on his grandson. By killing off all snakes, Janmanjaya was perpetuating that murderous cycle of his own. Vengeance, hate, greed, avarice – and all such negativity only breeds negativity. Janmanjaya realised this and hence desisted from his terrible vow of killing off all snakes.
Vyasa’s own father had once commenced a similar yagna to rid the world of all Rakshashas as his own father was killed by a rakshasha called Kalmashpada. Through good advise by his grandsire, Parashara stopped and similarly, Janmanjaya stopped thanks to advise from his own ancestor.
Vyasa’s own genes were good, but when they mixed with those of the Kashi princesses, they produced progeny of mixed ability and intellect. Vyasa knew his descendants will have a tough life and terrible deaths. So, to relieve the burden, he wrote Mahabharata and Shri Maada Bhagvatam. Pariskshita was a spiritual soul and hence he was give the chance to hear the SM Bhagvatam. This allowed Pariskshita to realise that the entire universe is imbibed with the divine spirit. As a result, though bitten by a snake, he did not “suffer” during his death. His soul had already merged with the divine before Takshat could bite him. Janmanjaya was more down to earth, so the grandsire had him look at the family history to see that the harvest of hate is bitter and benefits no one.
The sons and grandsons of Vyasa may disappoint us, especially when you consider their illustrious ancestry and divine gene pool. But humans aren’t acorns and our progeny does not always reflect us in temperament or behaviour. The sons and grandsons of Vyasa were extraordinary men by any stretch of the imagination. Had they not been kings and had they not been responsible for so many subjects under them, they would have seemed like gods amongst men. However, they were divine and human at the same time. They had their faults and shortcomings – just like us. Though great, they had flaws that marred their near perfect veneers. Underneath it, they had their karmas bonds that play out their complex dance with mechanical precision.
Everyone is bound by Kala - time.
When the time is ripe, world is cleansed and mankind has to start over again.
Vyasa told his mother Satyavati to wait till the
princesses were ready. But she would not wait. Her impatience caused one
son to be blind and another to be ill.
It was Vyasa’s (fisherman) grandfather’s wish to see his grandsons rule that ruined the perfect succession from Shantanu to Bhishma.
Vyasa was not responsible for Kauravas, though he did
help birth them.
It was to repair this "mistake" that he wrote the SM Bhagvatam, so that through
Priksheet, entire Kuru clan could be freed from its terrible weight of evil
karmas.
In time though, Vyasa made sure his genetic imprint was left with someone who had the potential to bring about a good change in the world of men. By writing SM Bhagvatam and Mahabharat, he made sure the karmic bonds coming back to him were weakened to point of not being there.
© Bhagwat Shah
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